Presidential hopeful hits state, vows to champion workers

By SAM SKOLNIK, SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER

Published 10:00 pm, Friday, May 30, 2003

EVERETT -- North Carolina Sen. John Edwards, speaking before labor activists under a drizzly sky yesterday, found a welcome audience for what has become his stock presidential campaign pitch: He's a man of humble roots who would, if elected, be "the most powerful champion" for working people the White House had ever seen.

Repeatedly hitting his populist theme, Edwards, a Democrat, thumped President Bush for being out of touch with the plight of people who might lose their jobs because of a faltering economy -- "the Bush recession," as he termed it.

"Let me tell you something about President Bush," Edwards said. "He doesn't come from you, he doesn't understand you, he has absolutely no idea what your lives are like."

The rally before a crowd of several hundred took place at the Machinists District Lodge 751, the Boeing workers union lobbying hard for Washington Boeing assembly workers to be chosen to build the aerospace giant's new commercial jet, the 7E7. Several local politicians and labor leaders preceded Edwards with pleas to Boeing leaders to land the jobs in the state.

Edwards, wearing a red, white and blue "Machinists Union" jacket, said it was vital to rebuild the country's manufacturing base.

As president, he said, he would do that by budgeting $50 billion to state and local governments to expand the nation's manufacturing base, pushing for "fair trade" agreements to protect American jobs and giving businesses tax incentives to keep those types of jobs from being exported.

Edwards also hit corporate executives, saying their salaries have unfairly risen exponentially faster than those of average workers. "We are going to democratize the corporate boardrooms of America," he said.

In a brief chat with reporters afterward, Edwards said the Bush administration has handled the aftermath of the Iraq War poorly. "They were very focused on the military action," he said.

"But it's become very clear that they were inadequately prepared for the aftermath."

Edwards voted for the congressional war resolution.

Though he's relatively young at 49, and is only a first-term senator, the former trial lawyer is considered by many Democratic Party activists to have risen to the top tier among the nine announced candidates. He's proven to be a skilled politician and gifted orator, and perhaps just as important, he has shown early fund-raising prowess.

In his fourth visit to the region since his campaign began, Edwards also courted top officials from high-tech companies during a morning meeting in Seattle.

Washington state Republicans used Edwards' trip here to highlight his vote last year against giving the president "fast track" authority to approve trade agreements with other nations.

"Senator Edwards has been going around talking about the economy," state GOP Chairman Chris Vance said in a statement, "but he voted against one of the most important pieces of legislation to help Washington's economy and maintain our job base."